Chapter 755: Chapter 44 Stirring Trouble in Living Fish Valley (Part 2) Chapter 755: Chapter 44 Stirring Trouble in Living Fish Valley (Part 2) Hong Liangyu had not gone far out of the Tang Family Village when he headed south into a grove of locust trees, suddenly feeling a strong gust of wind heading for his face. With a hawk’s flip, he somersaulted in midair, his right foot kicking out and striking the chest of the oncoming person, only to feel both cold and hard, as if he had kicked a century-old chunk of ice that would not melt. He could only borrow the force to swing himself far away.

As the night had deepened, Hong Liangyu leaned against a locust tree, using the dim moonlight for clarity. He saw that this person was barely clothed, with disheveled hair, and a face so pale and swollen it was unrecognizable. The left eye socket had been gnawed empty by birds and beasts, leaving a bloody hollow. It turned out to be a walking corpse.

He suddenly recalled the talisman papers and Bagua mirrors posted on every household in just-experienced Tang Family Village, and it dawned on him–Tang Family Village was actually experiencing a corpse transformation.

Without uttering a word, the walking corpse lunged towards the rich blood meal before it. Hong Liangyu, unarmed, did not confront it head-on, instead, he used his hands to climb and leapt onto the tree with two moves. The walking corpse hit the tree head-on, causing the not-so-sturdy locust tree to tremble incessantly.

Witnessing the walking corpse wandering below the tree, Hong Liangyu casually broke off a somewhat sharp branch. He whistled downward, and as if obeying the call, the walking corpse looked up. Hong Liangyu leaped down from the tree canopy, holding the pointed end of the branch, and with one thrust, it pierced through the walking corpse’s eye socket, exiting from the back of its head, along with some gray-white brain matter.

This forceful and heavy thrust twisted the walking corpse’s neck at a strange angle. It swayed from side to side for a while and ultimately fell flat on the ground with a thud in front of Hong Liangyu, never making a sound again.

“Eh!”

“Who’s there!”

Hong Liangyu suddenly turned around. The person revealed themselves and turned to run. Hong Liangyu caught up in three strides, grabbing the other’s collar from behind and holding him up in the air like a chick, then with a swing of his arm, threw him against a locust tree. The man hit the tree and couldn’t get up for a long time.

Before he could struggle to his feet, a massive boot print stamped on the man’s chest, making his eyes bulge and a mouthful of blood stuck in his throat–unable to go down or come up, and stripping away his strength to resist.

“Which path’s demon person are you? You dare to rob the sheep in front of your grandfather?”

The man’s face turned blue and purple from pressure, and he managed to cry out, “Shoulder to shoulder, there’s powder!”

Hong Liangyu was startled and asked sharply, “Are you blind?”

The man weakly responded, “I’m not blind, my eyes are bigger than yours.”

Only then did Hong Liangyu withdraw his foot and step back.

The man, clutching his chest and coughing, brought his hands together and performed a respect gesture, “Huoshan Sun of the Niuwei Gang. May I know to which respectable person I am speaking?”

These were the hand signals and secret codes commonly used by South Seas pirates. One couldn’t understand them without having mixed in the warrior society for several years. Besides, the Niuwei Gang had long been eradicated by the authorities. If one were to impersonate, they could easily claim to be part of something more intimidating like Black Flag or Demon Thief. Those two had a long history and, after the Guangzhou Battle, had fragmented, so the waters were muddied, making it easy for impostors. As for Red Flag, because the organization was well-organized and influential, the authorities’ suppression was the most severe, hence few would willingly claim to be Red Flag.

Hong Liangyu did not wish to talk more, merely murmuring, “Lantau Island.”

The man rolled his eyes, clearly not believing him, but wary of Hong Liangyu’s skills, he didn’t dare show it and hurriedly explained, “Brother, I’ve learned a bit from Wild Reed Mountain. Hearing that the Tang Family Village was plagued with a corpse transformation, I thought to try my luck and make a name for myself at the Living Fish Valley convention. I’d been watching this walking corpse for two nights, and I didn’t expect that you, brother, would ruin its body with a few punches and kicks. I couldn’t help but make a noise out of frustration–it’s all a misunderstanding!”

“What is this Living Fish Valley assembly?”

Huoshan Sun was taken aback, “Brother, aren’t you here to attend the Living Fish Valley assembly?”

Hong Liangyu patted the other’s shoulder, “Why don’t you tell me about it?”

Seeing the situation, Huoshan Sun had no choice but to tell everything he knew about the so-called Living Fish Valley assembly.

It turned out that the commander of the Xiang Army was Stone Fragrant Flame, an impoverished monk from Wuzhou who often stood up for justice. He had led the villagers in a grain resistance movement, had been imprisoned several times, and narrowly escaped death, earning the nickname Stone Iron Neck for his fearlessness. He had never learned any martial arts or magical skills, and it was unclear how he had undergone a metamorphosis, but he proclaimed to have been enlightened by the Ice-Sealed Ancient Buddha, and not only did he raise the banner of revolt against the Qing and the foreigners, but his martial prowess was also said to be unmatched, even surpassing the notorious Demon Thief Zhang He.

At that time, the official army had just dispatched troops to Lantau Island and barely had any manpower to spare. Coupled with frequent disasters in various places and widespread famine among refugees, the Xiang Army also took the opportunity to rise.

But the good times didn’t last long. Yang Sheng, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, obtained an imperial decree and called for a valiant general from Shan State, known by the nickname Eight-Armed Arhat, General Jiang Fengshan. This man fought a fierce battle with the Xiang Army. Although he was repelled, the Xiang Army suffered heavy losses and casualties. Monk Shi himself was shot in the chest by Jiang Fengshan’s musket and was saved by his subordinates at the cost of their lives, after which his condition remained unknown.

Afterwards, once the Xiang Army had regrouped for a few days, Monk Shi spread invitations throughout the greenwoods, calling all those who aspired to overthrow the Qing and eliminate the foreigners to gather at Living Fish Valley. He was willing to share the secret teachings of the Ice-Sealed Ancient Buddha with them.

There were even rumors that Monk Shi, knowing his days were numbered, was holding this assembly in Living Fish Valley not only to recruit valiant men to strengthen his forces but also to select the future leader of the Xiang Army so that after his death, someone could inherit his legacy.

Having finished speaking, Huoshan Sun’s face was piled up with a flattering smile as he hurriedly said, “I, Huoshan Sun, have traveled far and wide and am capable of killing a white-haired walking corpse with my bare hands. This is the first time I’ve met someone like you. Even the legendary Gaoli ghost and the Quanlang Type would pale in comparison. At this Living Fish Valley assembly, Monk Shi will surely favor you, brother, and your rise to prominence is just around the corner.”

“When does the Living Fish Valley assembly start?”

“It’s already been three days. Many have joined the Xiang Army, but none have been blessed or fortunate enough to be chosen by the Ice-Sealed Ancient Buddha,” was the reply.

Hong Liangyu felt a glimmer of joy upon hearing this. He had been worried about how difficult it would be to find out information about a young girl within the heavily guarded barracks, but now that Living Fish Valley was teeming with all sorts of people, it presented the perfect opportunity for him to fish in troubled waters.

“The words you just spoke, know in your heart how much was truth and how much was falsehood. The Red Hair soldiers once encircled Guangzhou, and the Niuwei Gang fought side by side with the Red Flag. For the sake of that past camaraderie, I won’t hold this against you, you may go. Let’s pretend we never met, go on.”

As if pardoned, Huoshan Sun didn’t even bother with pleasantries, made a bow, and dashed off. Since the walking corpse he was eyeing had been destroyed by Hong Liangyu, he naturally gave up the idea of going to Living Fish Valley,
Living Fish Valley was located to the south of Tang Family Village. The valley was spacious enough to accommodate a thousand people to arrange formations and maneuver, while the entrance and exit were narrow, with the tightest spot only wide enough for a single fast horse to pass through, shaping it like a living fish, hence the name.

Hong Liangyu crossed the locust tree forest, and soon arrived in front of Living Fish Valley. He saw four Xiang Army soldiers with plain yellow headbands and long spears on their backs, looming behind two rows of rudimentary barriers. The steep mountainsides on both flanks were so precipitous that not even the most agile monkey could clamber up, an easily defendable position with difficult access.

Suddenly, a figure was thrown high out from the mouth of the valley, tumbling onto the ground like a rolling calabash, utterly disheveled.

Two columns of soldiers armed with blades and swords, wearing red headbands, filed out. Among them was a female general clad in brigandine, her pretty face filled with ferocity, “Living Fish Valley widely accepts those with the spirit to resist the Qing. Only authentic heroes with a name and a reputation are welcomed, absolutely no impostors or followers. You claim to be from the Red Flag Gang, but you don’t understand a thing about my grandfather’s banner signals. Are you perhaps an imperial spy?”